Dove Forced to Pull Latest Advertisement

2017 has seen some truly memorable ad campaigns, but there are certainly some we would rather forget. From Kendall Jenner’s misguided Pepsi advertisement, to Nivea’s “White Is Purity” slogan, it seems plenty of advertising executives can’t get it right, and it’s time to add another to the list.

Dove, the skincare company most known for trying to promote every type of woman, has come under fire in the past for their advertising techniques and messages, but now they’ve been forced to pull an ad that targets Facebook users.

The ad in question shows three women, each wearing a skin tone coloured shirt, changing out of their shirts and turning into one of the other women. The part that has garnered the most attention depicts a black woman changing out of her own skin and turning into a white woman.

Facebook users raised concerns about the advertisement, before major news outlets picked up the controversy. And while the ad has been pulled and the company has issued a formal apology, the black model at the centre of it all, Lola Ogunyemi, has come out and spoken with The Guardian, saying the ad was not racist at all:

“Having the opportunity to represent my dark-skinned sisters in a global beauty brand felt like the perfect way for me to remind the world that we are here, we are beautiful, and more importantly, we are valued.”